Tourist Holidays being spoiled by Master Card

Photos

The colour of their money

see larger image

uploaded by beasy

• 

  uploaded by beasy | add comment

• 

  uploaded by xuoan | add comment

• 

  uploaded by PIM of SPAIN | add comment

• 

  uploaded by seamusfurr | add comment

It has been impossible for tourists and ex-pats to access there bank accounts at home in United Kingdom for a week now. Where as its been advised that tourist should not carry to much cash and its best to use debit or credit cards to top up funds on the move.

The problem is only with city bank cards Cirrus and Master Cards (ironically) Master card actually run the ATM systems here in the Philippines. However one has no problem with Visa cards though they could not access the system for 3 days or so.

Master Cards have gave no warnings and the banks here in the Philippines phone calls have not been returned of which leaves them completely in the dark. The Master card Head Quarters in the US or in Singapore do not respond to emails. It seems the organization wants to keep problems concerning the international ATM services under the mat.

Seemingly the company feels its right not to issue out travel warnings that in some countries there system is of line. Why is this so, its certainly not a bad mark on the companies reputation, if they care about clients traveling. In fact its irritating the clients and spoiling holidays that could have been better if the holiday travelers had taken travelers checks with them.

Is it because the company feels they have no competition? Or they feel they should not be troubled about the wellbeing of their clients or even worst that clients may sue them for spoiling holidays or causing problems to those traveling on business.

What if a disgruntled client took a hammer to their ATM’s VDU screens? Because that’s just what I feel like doing now at this moment, after being left without money to pay my rent, food and utilities here in the Philippines. There was no notice that the system would be down for maintenance, nor why it’s down for so long at this present time.

Over three or so days I have inserted my Cirrus cash card over a hundred times into varied ATM machines carrying the cirrus logo. I phoned my savings bank in United Kingdom of who said nothing wrong with my card, its because there is an international problem on the ATM global network. Of course its taken time and expense to get to the city center and sit around and playing ATM roulette hoping to with draw my money from my account in United Kingdom. This is causing me great stress and worry because I also need to update my Visa to stay here in the Philippines. I have no other means to obtain money as my account is the only source for funds.

Yes I have borrowed a small amount of money from a friend and if this problem continues to exist I am going to have to go cap in hand to borrow some more. If I had been warned I could of taken precautions and drawn and placed money into my safe at home. Of which I do not like really to place large sums of money.

Because I use a cash card only, I don’t like credit cards I can not use any other system such as zoom.com to get cash from my bank. I am trying to stay cool and not get stressed as stress can kill.

 Have been using the same method for nine years or so and have been lucky not to have had this problem before. The most annoying thing is Master Card not communicating with the banks here to say what the problem and when this situation should be resolved. So here I still have to play ATM roulette till the system connects. There is no message on the ATM screens to state there is a problem at this moment.

What does it take to get Master Card to be responsible for a service they make big profits from a client dying on the streets of the third world that has no family friend’s to help. Sods law says that will happen some day at some time when the system is off for more than seven days or so.

Of course those that suffer will never be compensated.